"Joy is a decision, a really brave one, about how you are going to respond to life."

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About Me

Blah, Blah, Blah …

Ann Louise Nicolopulos or Ann McCoy Nicolopulos … that’s me. I am from Anderson, SC, and I live …. let’s just say it depends on the week.

Life … I have lived at the top of the mountain and fallen to the depths of the valley. Atthe bottom is where you are introduced to yourself. The reflection staring back at me is often framed by anxiety, fear, and hopelessness.

On the cusp of a life long dream coming true, my 18 year old son, Jake, suffered a massive stroke on December 9, 2009 at 7:45 a.m. In one split second, life as we knew it ceased to exist.

What has happened in your life that made you realize it wasn’t turning out the way you planned?

This experience has made me realize that the joke was on me. All of the years spent planning and controlling life turned out to be a complete illusion. Reality was I neverhadcontrol in the first place. Heartache and fear, along with an ocean of tears have been the byproduct of this ‘punch me in the gut,’ realization.

Tears have engraved my face … at least that’s what I attribute facial lines to;) Yet, at the same time, those tears have started to wash away the deceptions and fantasies I once assigned to life.

“Tears are prayers too. They travel to God when we can’t speak.” Psalm 56:8

What is replacing the delusions that I lived with for so long?

Pressing Toward Joy … a daily battle to live outside of the circumstances. Pressing suggests that it is neither easy nor automatic. Some days it is hard for me to even get out of bed. Really?Yes, really. Living joyfully is a purposeful act and a decision that has to be made on a daily basis.

What qualifies me to write on this subject? It is simply the world I know and the life I live. A life that has been humbled and shattered … yet now, very slowly, a life that is becoming redefined and repurposed.

Blah, Blah, Blah …. Oh STOP! Life has much great value than living a mediocre existence. Regardless of the loss, there is Hopeand guaranteed Victory. But it takes a great deal of creativity, boldness, coffee, humor, chocolate, as well as other people to help walk with you through life. <and even carry you sometimes>

If you struggle or know someone who is, I encourage you to read Pressing TowardJoy.Offbeat and quirky at times, yet firmly relying on the Promises of Jesus Christ.

“I PRESS on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:14″